Lectures
We give lectures to secondary school and older primary school students, aiming to cultivate their interest in the best topics in geology. We offer introductory talks highlighting the 'best offs' spanning all geology research areas, as well as lectures focusing on a specific geological topic - such as mineral resources or groundwater. Please see the offer below or contact us asking for a specific topic. We will welcome you at the Department of Geology or bring the lecture to your institution. We also give public lectures on a multitude of topics.
What is geology?
Geology is a natural science that is often left out of school syllabi, although it is directly linked to both the natural and technological world around us. This general talk introduces geology as a field of science that encompasses so much more than 'just rocks', cruising through the most important and exciting geological conundrums in our everyday lives and in natural science. At the end of this talk, students will understand that geology not only serves to describe the world around us but also spans the entire timeline of the existence and evolution of our world - its past, present and future.
Our past: Geology represents the only record of events that are older than human memory. This is because the rock record is the only thing that has persisted for millions and even billions of years in the battle against ravages of time, bringing testimonies of ice ages, continental drift, natural disasters and evolution and extinction of species. In the first section of the lecture, we will discuss evolution, drastic past climate changes and mass extinction events and discover how geology helps us descipher the planet's past.
Our present: Geology is a scientific field on its constant rise. This is no surprise. Geologists study natural disasters and help predict them. Together we will look into what causes earthquakes, we will talk about volcanic eruptions, landslides and other natural catastrophes and we will explain how seismologists warn us and how engineering geologists protect us from them. Finally, we will discuss the global climate change - a complex topic that geology can shed much light on.
Our future. Just by following media, it is clear that geology does not only deal with issues of past and present, but plays a key role in defining our future, too. Everyday, we hear about the energy crisis, thinning fossil fuel reserves and the shortage of other types of resources. Without understanding geology, we will not be able to find new resources or to utilize them in a responsible manner so that the planet's wealth is there for the next generations. The last section of the lecture is therefore focused on natural resources and their importance in our everyday lives. Apart from mineral resources, we will also focus on what is probably our most precious resource - water. The field of geology that deals with its responsible utilisation is hydrogeology, a scientific area which is, together with economic geology, becoming increasingly important and represents the future of science and humanity.
Mineral resources around us
Although we may not always be aware, almost every object that we utilise daily is made of minerals. Plastic items and some fabrics are made from oil, a key energy resource. Glasses that we drink from are made from two most common minerals of the Earth's crust – quartz and feldspar. Bateries that allow a large variety of appliances to function (such as the kitchen scale or alarm clock) require lithium, an element often extracted from minerals. And although rare earth elements are hard to extract in large amounts, they are highly concentrated in our mobile phones which could not be made without them. In this lecture, we will show that mineral resources are absolutely crucial for the modern society and its further development. We will introduce the term critical resources and geological exploration and we will discuss how exactly geologists search for minerals. You will attempt to relate important minerals with everyday items made from them and you will have the chance to see real samples of these minerals brought from the Department of Geology. You will also see what minerals look like under the microscope. At the end, we will talk about oil ad natural gas – fossil fuels that shape our lives in the 21st century and whose availability is the key to the current energy crisis.
Would you like to attend one of our lectures?
Contact us!